Azerbaijan

Asia
AZE
Population
9,297,507 (2012)
GDP
$$68,726,938,990 (2012)
GDP (PPP)
$10,624 (2012)
Education expenditure (% of GDP)
2.8 (2010)
Introduction Text

Executive Summary

There is a lack of overarching animal welfare legislation in Azerbaijan. The country’s legislation does not recognise animal sentience, and animals lack basic protection. Only brutal treatments causing death or severe injuries to animals are prohibited in the Code on Administrative Violations. There is no duty of care onto animal owners. There is a clear lack of legislation regarding the rearing, transport and slaughter of farm animals, as well as the utilisation of animals in scientific research. Azerbaijan also authorises the culling of stray animals. Furthermore, the country allows for the use of animals for fur farming and entertainment purposes, such as circuses.

The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources is responsible for the conservation of wild animals in Azerbaijan. However, there is no Ministry responsible for animal welfare. There is a lack of government bodies dedicated to animal welfare in general, as well as to specific animal welfare issues, such as the use of animals in scientific research. 

The Government of Azerbaijan is urged to enact a comprehensive animal welfare legislative act that would enshrine animal sentience, define animal welfare in line with the OIE standards, and prohibit animal cruelty. Further animal welfare provisions will stem from this recognition of sentience. In particular, the Government of Azerbaijan is urged to ban the worst forms of confinement for animals reared in farming, and to mandate humane slaughter for all livestock animal species. In addition, the Government of Azerbaijan is strongly encouraged to fully ban fur farming, which is inherently cruel and causes pain, distress and suffering to animals. The Government of Azerbaijan is urged to outlaw the culling of stray animal populations, and to implement spay-and-neuter campaigns as a tool to control stray animal populations. The Government of Azerbaijan is also strongly encouraged to ban the use of all animals for entertainment, including their use in circuses. Overall, the Government of Azerbaijan is strongly encouraged to align its current legislation with OIE standards. Responsibility for animal welfare should be allocated to a Ministry, and a specific government body should enact and ensure the implementation of animal protection legislation. Such a government body should include representatives from animal welfare organisations. Further legal and policy recommendations are associated with each Animal Protection Index (API) indicator and contained in the relevant sections of this report.

Pakistan

Asia
PAK
Population
179,160,111 (2012)
GDP
$231,181,921,490 (2012)
GDP (PPP)
$2,891 (2012)
Education expenditure (% of GDP)
2.4
Introduction Text

Executive Summary

Pakistan’s Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (1890) provides a good basis for the protection of animals, acknowledging that they feel pain and suffering. The Act provides specific protections for draught animals that acknowledges their importance in Pakistani society. The delegated authority to Provincial Governments to develop their own wildlife protection laws allows each province to assess the needs of wild animals and the public on a local basis. Recent moves towards humane dog population management and mass vaccinations in Karachi should be praised.Since the 2014 edition of the Animal Protection Index, Pakistan has introduced limited new legislation. However, one of note is the Halal Authority Act (2015), that not only mandates humane treatment of animals throughout the slaughter process, but also prohibits animals from seeing one another being slaughtered.However, there are concerning gaps with animal welfare legislation in Pakistan. The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (1890) is outdated and no longer reflects current scientific and cultural understandings of animal welfare. There is little mandate for the care of animals in zoos and on farms, that may lead to lower standards of animal welfare. Similarly, while animal abandonment is illegal in Pakistan, there is little further guidance for how animal owners should care for their companion animals. There are also reports of inhumane treatment of strays with mass poisonings of dogs taking place across the country. It is unclear, beyond specific delegations to provincial wildlife departments, which authorities hold responsibility for animal welfare in Pakistan.The Government of Pakistan is urged to amend and update the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (1890) to ensure protections for all animals in Pakistan and to align anti-cruelty measures with current animal welfare science. Furthermore, the Government is urged to enact legislation detailing specific welfare requirements for the rearing of farm animals during the phases of rearing, transport and slaughter. Such requirements should be legally binding and species-specific and at a minimum aligned with OIE animal welfare standards and promote the Five Freedoms. Regular inspections onto farms and slaughter establishments should be carried out with a special focus on animal welfare. The Government of Pakistan is recommended to assign responsibility for improving animal welfare in the country to a specific Government Ministry at a national level and to create an Animal Welfare Committee that includes members of animal welfare organisations, to advise the Government on animal welfare policy and solutions to ensure the humane treatment of animals at all times. Further legal and policy recommendations are associated with each Animal Protection Index (API) indicator and contained in the relevant sections of this report.

 

 

Malaysia

Asia
MYS
Population
29,239,927
GDP
$303,526,203,366
GDP (PPP)
$17,143
Education expenditure (% of GDP)
5.1 (2010)
Introduction Text

Executive Summary 

The Animal Welfare Act (2015) is a clear and comprehensive law setting the standard for good animal welfare across Malaysia. While not formally recognising animal sentience, the Animal Welfare Act (2015) and other regulations acknowledge not only that animals are able to suffer and that their mental wellbeing is also important. The National Animal Welfare Strategy aims to make Malaysia a leader in animal welfare, not just in South East Asia but across the world. Regulations such as the Malaysian Code of Practice on the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Research (2010) provide detailed guidance on animal care and place the responsibility of that care on individuals and organisations in ownership of the animals in question. Similarly, there are total bans on some inherently cruel activities, including animal fighting and baiting, which are to be commended.

While there have been many improvements in the animal welfare legislation for Malaysia, there are some areas that need to be addressed. Hunting, while legal with a licence, is not regulated to ensure animal welfare is a consideration for all participants. Similarly, while wild animals are only allowed to be bred and kept by licence holders, there is significant illegal wildlife trade in Malaysia, including the keeping of wild animals as pets. A further concern is an inconsistency in government-led inspections of regulated facilities. For example, scientific research facilities must be inspected every six months, but there is no such inspection schedule for zoos and other captive animal venues.

Governance of animal welfare in Malaysia is held across two government ministries – the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. While the Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for all animals covered by the Animal Welfare Act (2015), the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment holds jurisdiction over all wildlife – both wild and captive-bred. Generally, animal welfare in Malaysia is overseen by the Animal Welfare Board, which was established under the Animal Welfare Act (2015). The board membership includes representatives from multiple ministries and local authorities to ensure its mandates to produce guidelines, and to promote and educate on animal welfare, are cohesive and disseminated across the country.

Since the API was first published in 2014, Malaysia has introduced new animal welfare legislation and enforcement regulations. This process included the passing of the Animal Welfare Act (2015) and supplementary regulations. The Government of Malaysia has collaborated with the OIE through the development of the National Animal Welfare Strategy, the Animal Welfare Act (2015) and supporting regulations and codes of practice.

The Government of Malaysia is encouraged to continue to develop and improve its animal welfare legislation, building on the progress made over the past several years. The Government is encouraged to align all animal welfare under one ministry to ensure good animal welfare protections for all species. The Government of Malaysia is strongly urged to ban cruel practices, such as the culling of dogs for population and rabies control. Further legal and policy recommendations are associated with each indicator and contained in the relevant sections of this report.

 

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